Ghana Together works with our Ghanaian friends of Western Heritage Home, a Ghanaian-registered and managed non-profit, to improve social, educational, and health conditions in Axim, Ghana. Together we accomplish projects, connect WHH to resourceful individuals and organizations, and create sustainable programs. We make a real difference to real people in a local, grassroots effort.
Our website at http://ghanatogether.org tells our story.

Aug 2, 2012

Zak putting up a poster designed by Axim Public Library Story Hour students. We provided poster paper and pens, and the kids did the rest. The "me" refers to the little drawing of a book---yes, use ME daily! Zak is standing in the new Children's Library Room, created by the District Assembly.

Zak, as he prefers to be called, joined Western Heritage Home this spring as a
Manager-in-Training. His job is to carry out all the tasks necessary to keep
projects going. Since almost all of the WHH Board members work during the day,
and have limited personal time, Zak is their right-hand man. Zak and Francis,
the night watchman/cleaner are the two WHH employees. The Board members serve
without compensation.

We asked Zak to write a short article to introduce
himself...

"My name is Ussif Mariko Zakaria. I am 25 years of age.
I was born and lived in Axim until 2003 when I completed my junior high school
at St. Augustinus preparatory school.

I live with my mom and 2 of my siblings in Axim. I am
the first boy and second born of a family of six. I graduated my senior high
school at Ghana Secondary Technical School in 2006. I offered science as
program and passed out with first class grades. I have been teaching
mathematics at my formal [former] junior school.

I have had the opportunity to enter into the university
but could not afford the fees. My dad died three month after I graduated my
senior high school in 2006. I understand and speak English, Arabic, Nzema,
Fante, and Hausa.

I am very humble, intelligent, respectful and
hardworking and above all God-fearing Muslim. These qualities have earned me
fame among the old and young in my community.

It is my dream to be a philanthropist one day in future
so it is a great opportunity to be at WHH as a stepping stones to bring my
dream into reality.

At my leisure time I do
reading of Holy Quran, story books and searching of information. Being a
philanthropist is my future dream after university."

Note: we think by "philanthropist", Zak perhaps means "humanitarian." But, maybe he will be a philanthropist one day! Would that we all were this articulate in our 2nd or 3rd languages!